EVERETT -- Classy new street signs are going up in the Hewitt Avenue Historic District downtown.Produced by the city's own sign shop, the brown and black signs are being installed at intersections throughout the district.A few years ago, the city nominated and received a listing on the National Register of Historic Places of an area east of Colby Avenue and west of Broadway along Hewitt, Wetmore, Rockefeller, Oakes and Lombard avenues.Jan Meston, Everett's community development specialist who works with the city's historical commission, said city officials are getting compliments on the new signs."We are all very pleased that people are noticing and really excited about it all, actually. We wanted a look for the street signs that wasn't trendy, but would be appropriate for this area with older buildings," Meston said. "The signs give public exposure to the important historical resources in our city. And we may be adding historical district gateway signs in the future." The district includes buildings which represent development in Everett from 1894 to 1959, including a collection of commercial structures and buildings associated with fraternal and labor organizations, according to the city's website. The district was added to the Washington Heritage Register in 2010.The Hewitt Avenue Historic District includes the railroad tunnel, the site of the old Speaker's Corner and 42 buildings, 30 of which are important because they retain the integrity of their original architectural design and materials. In addition, two buildings in the district, the Commerce Building and Fire Station No. 2, are historic buildings already listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.The Rucker Hill district, which contains single-family homes, is the other area of the city that is listed on the National Register.Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Calendar

Share your comments: Log in using your HeraldNet account or your Facebook, Twitter or Disqus profile. Comments that violate the rules are subject to removal. Please see our terms of use. Please note that you must verify your email address for your comments to appear.